Machine for cutting articles from metal sheets



J WEBB Dec. 16, 1952 Filed Oct. 1, 1948 INVENTOR. J Z main a/e 121,; a @ZML fi fi ve v Dec. 16, 1952 J 1. WEBB 2,621,735

MACHINE FOR CUTTING ARTICLES FROM METAL SHEETS Filed Oct. 1, 1948 2 SI-lEETS-Sl-IEET 2 IN V EN TOR.

J .Z'rwiq Q1265 BY WJ- PM firyorwey Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES "ATENT OFFICE MACHINE, oe CUTTING ARTICLES FROM METAL SHEETS J Irwin Webb, Munhall, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, 'Pa a corporation of Pennsylvania Applicationbetober 1, 1948, Serial No. 52,230

2 Claims.

invention relates tomachines'ior cutting articles .irom metal sheets, and relates more the scroll. This has to be repeated for each side plate, and is a slow and relatively expensive process.

This invention provides a machine which will 'cutascroll-shaped side platefrom a metalsheet sheet from which a scroll-shaped sideplate is to be out is mounted on a cam which is rotatedly mounted on a support which moves along a straight line towards a pair of cutters. The cutters rotate the sheet and through it the cam. Rotation of the cam causes its support to be moved towards the cutters, and its surface is so shaped that the sheet is caused to pass between the cutters in a scroll-shaped path.

An object of the invention is to reduce the cost of cutting articles having desired outlines, from metal sheets.

Another and more definite object of the invention is to reduce the cost of cutting scrollshaped side plates for centrifugal fans, from metal sheets.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view looking down upon one embodiment of this invention with the cutters omitted, a metal sheet from which a scrollshaped outline is being out, being shown by a dashed line, the scroll-shaped outline being shown by a dash-dot line;

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view along the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine with a metal sheet shown thereon in dashed line outline.

Referring now to the drawing, the cam support has a central bore around the cylindrical guideway H along which the support slides for horizontal movement towards the cutters I2. The vertical shafts I 3 are attached at their upper ends to the support l8, and have the rollers It on their lower ends which contact the opposite surfaces of the 'cylindrical'guideway l5. The guideways II and [5 have their ends anchored in the end supports l6 and I! respectively, of the machine.

The support H) has attached to its upper portion, a transversely extending plate I having therein the slot 8 with upwardly converging walls, which extends perpendicular to the guideways H and i5, and which contains the slide member it which has a vertical shaft IS on which 'the cam 20 is rotatedly supported.

The cam '25 has a drive pin 2| extending vertically above its upper surface, and the metal sheet 22 has a circular hole therein which is fitted over the drive pin. The shaft [9 extends through another circular hole in the sheet.

The cam 20 includes the upper and lower, spaced horizontal plates 30 between which extend the four-notch engaging pins 28. The horizontal bar 32 is attached at its end to the supports [6 and 11, with the inner side 23 extending in a horizontal plane through which the pins 26 extend. The side 23 of the bar 32 has the spaced notches 24 therein which are adapted to receive corresponding pins 26 which they engage when the cam is rotated, as will be described.

The hydraulic cylinder 40 is attached to the plate 7, and has a piston 4| which is attached to the slide member [8 and which pulls it toward cylinder 40 during the rotation of the cam 20 for maintaining the notch-engaging pins 26 in their proper positions relative the notches 24 in the bar 32. The cutters [2 are the usual motor driven cutters for a conventional machine for cutting metal sheet, this invention being designed for use with such a machine.

The effective cam surface is a line extending parallel the outline of the upper cam pate 30 seen in Fig. 1, through the centers of the pins 26. The efiective cam surface is so designed that as the cam is rotated, as will be described, the path of the sheet between the cutters it will be the scroll shown by the dash-dot outline of Fig. 1.

For cutting a scroll-shaped side plate, a metal sheet 22 having the outline shown by the dashed line of Fig. 1, has circular holes bore therethrough which are fitted over the driving pin 2| on the cam 20, and the shaft [9. The cutters I! are then moved down on the sheet to the cutting position shown by Fig. 3, and are started to rotate. The rotation of the cutters causes the sheet to move therethrough and to rotate about the shaft I9, and the movement is communicated through the sheet and the drive pin 2|, to the cam causing the cam 20 to rotate about the shaft 19.

The rotation of the cam causes the notchengaging pins 26 to move into the corresponding notches 24 in the bar 32, causing the cam 20 and the cam support [0, to move towards the cutters l2, the support 10 sliding during this movement along the guideway. Due to the different distances of the different pins 26 from the pivot pin, the cam supporting slide member [8 will move in the transverse slot sufficiently to permit the pins 26 to engage their corresponding notches 24, the piston M of the hydraulic cylinder 40 exerting sufficient opposing pressure to this movement for maintaining alignment.

The rotation of the cam and its movement towards the cutters, cause the sheet to move between the cutters along the dash-dot path shown by Fig. 1, causing the scroll-shaped side plate to be cut automatically from the sheet.

While the cam has been described as being moved towards the cutters through pins carried by the cam, engaging notches in a notched bar, other equivalent ways of affecting cam movement could be used.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described for the purpose of illustration, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact apparatus and arrangement of apparatus illustrated, as modifications therefrom may be suggested by those skilled in the art without departure from the essence of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for cutting an irregular out line from a metal sheet, and including a cutter through which the sheet is moved, the combination of a cam having a flat upper surface for supporting a fiat metal sheet, a guideway below said cam, a cam support movable along said guideway towards said cutter, said support having a slot therein extending perpendicular to said guideway, a slide member slidaiole in said guideway, said slide member having attached thereto a fixed shaft on which said cam is rotatably supported, said shaft extending through said cam above said surface so as to extend through a hole in a sheet, said cam having means extending above said surface and spaced from said shaft so as to extend through another hole in the sheet for causing said cam to rotate about said shaft when said sheet is rotated about said shaft when moved through said cutter, said cam having a plurality of cam surfaces spaced different distances from, and extending in lines parallel to, said shaft, and means engaging said surfaces for causing through the rotation of said cam, said support to move along said guideway towards said cutter.

2. The invention claimed in claim 1 in which the" means engaging the cam surfaces comprises a notched bar extending parallel to the guideway, and in which the cam surfaces are notch engaging pins.

J IRWIN WEBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 117,611 Deeds Aug. 1, 1871 874,102 Merrick Dec. 17, 1907 1,783,869 'Allen Dec. 2, 1930 2,481,342 Presby Sept. 6, 1949 

